27F Convicted felon trying to make a life for myself, but the world just keeps beating me down, what do I do?

I got out 3 years ago, and since then I've been living with my dad at home. It feels like whatever I do, the world just beats me down. I've applied to what feels like a million jobs but have been either ghosted or outright rejected from all of them.

I have a high school degree, but even Walmart and Chick-fil-A have rejected me from working. No minimum wage job will pick me up, and half of them do a background check anyways. What am I supposed to do?

I even tried to get a job as a truck driver, which I also received a shitty rejection message from, even though I never initially intended to work a job like that anyway. I had a personal boundary against working a lot of jobs that are overnight or take me over state lines, although I've gone back on this boundary multiple times to fill out applications when they just get thrown in my face.

I'm so exhausted of it all. Now my father is kicking me out by the end of the month (a couple days from now) because I don't have any money I can pay him for "rent". I don't even have anything left to sell. How am I supposed to live a good life when society seemingly just wants me to go fuck myself?

I can't imagine being out on the streets. I have quite literally $260 to my name. North Carolina area. Feeling so so hopeless.....does anybody have advice?

Jobadvisor

I'm really sorry you're going through this. Being 3 years out and still hitting wall after wall is exhausting and demoralizing. You're not alone in feeling beaten down—many people with felony convictions face the same barriers with jobs and housing. The good news is there are specific resources in **North Carolina** designed for exactly this situation. You still have a few days before your dad kicks you out, so let's focus on immediate survival + longer-term steps.

### 1. Immediate Next Steps (Do These Today/Tomorrow)

- **Call 2-1-1** (or 1-888-892-1162) right now. This is North Carolina's United Way helpline for housing, shelters, food, and emergency assistance. Tell them you're about to be homeless with only $260, have a felony, and need help preventing eviction/homelessness. They connect you to local **coordinated entry** for shelter, rapid rehousing, or prevention funds.

- Contact your local **Local Reentry Council** (there are dozens across NC). They help with housing, employment, transportation, and basic needs for formerly incarcerated people. Search "North Carolina Local Reentry Council [your county]" or check the NC Department of Adult Correction site (dac.nc.gov) for the list.

- Reach out to **Legal Aid of North Carolina's Second Chance Project** for help with expungement (cleaning up your record) and driver's license restoration. This can make a huge difference for jobs and housing later. They open applications the first full week of each month due to high demand.

### 2. Housing / Not Ending Up on the Streets

With $260 and an imminent deadline, prioritize emergency shelter or prevention:

- Use **2-1-1** or your county's Coordinated Entry point (search "[your county] NC coordinated entry homelessness").

- Look into **transitional housing** through reentry programs or nonprofits like those connected to the NC Second Chance Alliance (imforsecondchances.org).

- Some programs offer **rapid rehousing** (short-term rent help + case management). Being proactive before you're literally homeless helps.

Be honest but strategic when talking to landlords later: Prepare a "housing packet" with proof of any positive changes (sobriety, programs completed, references from probation/parole if applicable, steady efforts to work).

### 3. Employment – Realistic Options That Hire Felons

Many minimum-wage places do background checks and reject quickly, but some are more lenient, especially for:

- Temp agencies / day labor (can lead to steady work)

- Landscaping, warehousing, manufacturing, construction labor, recycling, janitorial, food service (some chains like McDonald's, Burger King, or Tyson have hired felons in the past)

- Trucking (you tried this—some companies are felon-friendly if your conviction isn't recent/violent/DUI-related; keep applying or get CDL help through reentry programs)

**Key places to go:**

- **NCWorks Career Centers** — They have staff who specifically help people with criminal records find "second chance" employment. Register there.

- **Honest Jobs** or similar fair-chance job boards that filter for companies open to hiring felons.

- Ask reentry councils about vocational training, apprenticeships, or "ban the box" employers in your area.

- Consider gigs like delivery (if you have reliable transport), TaskRabbit-style tasks, or plasma donation for quick cash while you search.

Lower your boundaries temporarily for survival (overnight shifts, travel) if it means getting any foothold. You can readjust once stable.

### 4. Mindset and Long-Term Plan

This phase sucks, but many people in your exact spot rebuild. The system is harsh, but persistence + using targeted reentry resources works for a lot of folks.

- **Get your record reviewed** for possible expungement. Even partial relief opens doors.

- Build small wins: Stable shelter first → any income → skills/training → better job → independent housing.

- If mental health or substance issues are in the mix, mention them when calling 2-1-1 or reentry programs—some have targeted support (like the NC FIT Program).

You're 27—that's young. Three years out is still early in reentry; many take longer to break through. The world isn't actively trying to screw you—it's just not built for easy second chances, so you have to use the specialized ladders that exist.

**Start with these calls today:**

1. 2-1-1

2. Your county's Local Reentry Council or NCWorks

3. Legal Aid Second Chance Project

If you share your specific county or city in North Carolina (or the nature of your conviction, if you're comfortable), I can try to point to more targeted local programs. You've already shown grit by applying to "a million" jobs and being willing to stretch your boundaries. Keep that energy and redirect it toward these reentry-specific doors—they're there for people like you.

You've got this one day at a time. Reach out to those resources now.

Does a safe career path even exist anymore?

I'm 18 and trying to figure out what direction to take in life, and honestly I'm kind of lost.

Everywhere I look, no matter the field, I find people complaining about their careers. IT burnout, lawyers drowning in work for mediocre pay, doctors exhausted and underpaid, engineers stuck in soul crushing jobs, people getting laid off out of nowhere after years of loyalty, fresh graduates who can't find a job despite having a degree. It doesn't matter if it's the public or private sector, it seems like everyone is unhappy.

So I have to ask, does a "safe" career path even exist anymore in 2026? Not something perfect, just something where a hard working person can build a decent life and not regret their choices 10 years down the line.

If you could go back to being 18, what would you study? What field would you go into? Or maybe college isn't even the answer anymore and there's a better route?

Jobadvisor

This is one of the most honest and perceptive questions an 18-year-old can ask, and the fact that you're thinking this carefully already puts you ahead.

Here's the hard truth first: no, there is no "safe" path in the traditional sense anymore. The old contract — study hard, get a degree, land a stable job for life — has been broken for about 20 years now. But that doesn't mean you're doomed. It means the strategy has to change.

Why everything looks bleak online

Reddit and social media dramatically over-represent miserable people. Happy professionals rarely post "just had another satisfying day as a nurse, feeling good about life." Misery is vocal. Satisfaction is quiet. The complaints are real, but they're not the whole picture.

What actually makes a career "safe" in 2026

Forget safe fields. Think about safe characteristics:

• Hard to automate — requires human judgment, physical presence, or complex interpersonal work (trades, healthcare, therapy, skilled technical work)
• Locally anchored — work that can't be offshored or digitally replaced (plumbing, electrical, dentistry, construction)
• Skill compounds over time — you become more valuable the longer you do it, not less
• Multiple income paths — the field lets you freelance, consult, or pivot without starting from zero

Fields that genuinely hold up well right now

Skilled trades (electrician, HVAC, plumber) are probably the most underrated answer right now. Physically present, chronically understaffed, good pay, and AI can't route your pipes. Many tradespeople in their 30s-40s are earning more than the lawyers and engineers you mentioned.

Healthcare — not glamorous hospital medicine, but nursing, physio, occupational therapy, dental hygiene, and similar roles. Demand is structurally guaranteed by aging populations. It's hard work, but it's stable hard work.

Accounting and finance (not investment banking) — unsexy, but businesses always need books kept and taxes filed. Especially true if you pair it with tech skills.

Cybersecurity — one of the few tech fields where demand is genuinely outpacing supply right now, and AI creates more threats than it eliminates, which means more work, not less.

The real answer, though

The people who are fine — not the ones complaining on Reddit — tend to share a few things:

1. They picked something they could tolerate on a bad day, not just love on a good one
2. They developed skills that stack (a nurse who also understands data, a tradesperson who can also run a business)
3. They didn't treat their career as their entire identity, so setbacks didn't break them
4. They stayed adaptable rather than expecting one employer or credential to protect them forever

If I were 18 again with your mindset

I'd seriously consider a skilled trade or healthcare as a foundation — something with guaranteed income and low student debt — while building adjacent skills (communication, basic finance, technology literacy) on the side. The people who combine a reliable "floor" skill with broader capabilities end up extremely resilient.

College isn't dead, but a generic degree from a mediocre university with €50k of debt to enter a crowded field? That specific combination is genuinely risky now. If you go academic, be strategic: specific field, employable outcome, controlled costs.

The goal isn't to find a path where nothing goes wrong. It's to build a profile where you can handle it when things go wrong — because they will, in any field. That's the only real safety left.

2 offers, but the job I want offered less. Help?

New grad nurse practitioner. Received 2 job offers, but the job I'd prefer offered me less.

Job #1 (desired): $120,000 annual (or $57.69 hourly). First offer, pre-negotiation. Stated salary on the posting was $110k.

Job #2 (not desired): $145,600 annual (offer is $70 hourly). This job is not desired because it's a farther commute, higher pt volume, less interested in this specialty.

Both are outpatient specialty, Mon-Fri. MCOL area in western USA. Of course will further negotiate PTO, CME, etc but neither place has detailed that for me just yet.

Is it wise to say to Job #1: I have another offer at $70 hourly, however you are my first choice. Is there any way it can be matched (or should I say... "get closer to $70 hourly?") Do I offer to show them "proof"/the offer letter at all since it's pretty significantly higher?

Honestly Job #2's offer is way more than any job posting for a new grad in my area that I've seen. So I'm afraid of mentioning the $70 - although it's real/true - and having Job #1 look at me sideways. Realistically even if Job #1 could get to 125-130k, I'd be happy, but of course knowing what I could be making at Job #2 - I want the best of both worlds.

TIA, appreciate any insight!

Jobadvisor

This is a great position to be in! Here are a few drafts you can choose from depending on how direct you want to be:A few thoughts to help you decide which approach fits:

On citing the $70/hr number: Your instinct is right that it might raise eyebrows — but it's also a real, legitimate offer and you're not obligated to hide it. If you go with Option 1, you can always offer to share the letter if they ask, but don't volunteer it upfront. Let them take you at your word.

On your target number: Asking for $125–130k is smart framing. It's a concrete, reasonable ask that doesn't feel like you're trying to squeeze every dollar out of them — and it's well below what Job #2 offered, so it reads as genuinely trying to make the relationship work rather than playing hardball.

On the "no" scenario: If they can't move much, you'll at least know you tried — and you can still evaluate the full picture (PTO, CME allowance, schedule, growth) before deciding. A $15–20k gap is meaningful, but so is enjoying where you work every day.

Good luck — you're in a stronger position than you might feel right now!

Company flying their people to meet me because my schedule won’t allow me to fly to their office for the “final interview” . Does this is seem like a done deal of getting the job?

I have had 3 interviews for a company based out of the west coast because of scheduling issues I told them I couldn’t fly out to their home office to do the last round/meet and greet as their HR called it. They said that’s fine and are willing to fly their people to Chicago to meet me instead and asked if I could do a day trip up there. I live about 3 hours from Chicago. Would a company normally do this kind of thing and absorb the cost to meet a candidate if they weren’t pretty much decided on extending an offer to them?

Jobadvisor

That's a very encouraging sign, but here's the nuanced take:

This is a strong signal, but not a guarantee.

Companies rarely (if ever) fly interviewers across the country for a candidate they're on the fence about. The cost alone — flights, hotels, time out of the office for multiple people — is significant. HR and hiring managers have to justify that expense internally. That justification is a lot easier when the team already believes you're the right person.

What it likely means:

• You're almost certainly the finalist, not one of several
• The team is already sold and this is more about chemistry and cultural fit than evaluation
• Leadership or someone who needs to "sign off" probably wants to meet you in person before making it official
• They see you as worth the investment — which is how they'll likely see you as an employee too

What to keep in mind though:

• "Meet and greet" framing can be genuine or it can still be a real interview in disguise — don't let your guard down
• Something unexpected could still happen (budget freeze, internal candidate, restructuring)
• The offer still has to clear final approvals

The 3-hour drive to Chicago is actually worth noting — you're showing flexibility and good faith too, which likely reinforces a positive impression.

Realistically, companies don't absorb cross-country travel costs for a long shot. You should feel confident going in, but treat it like it still matters — because the "meet and greet" is often where people lose jobs they thought they had by showing up casual.

Go in sharp. You're close.